8 tips to avoid “office chair ass”

What’s office chair ass, you say? It’s what happens to your butt when you sit for long periods of time every day. It starts to resemble the seat of your chair. And it gets a bit like jello–jiggly.

And now that I have your attention, I want to share why you want to avoid office chair ass at all costs. Not only is it sooooo not pretty, but it can mean serious health risks.

Being chained to your desk can literally kill you. Recent studies have linked prolonged sitting with increased risks for heart disease, cancer, blood clots and enhanced fat production. Check out the stats in this cool infographic.

If you exercise regularly, you may think that it makes up for all the time you spend sitting. Unfortunately, it doesn’t! Even if you exercise for an hour or more each day, it won’t make up for all that sitting.

But here are eight tips that will help:

Get up every 30 minutesand stretch or pace. Work from home? Do some deep side knee bends or other simple stretching moves.

Stand while talking on the phone. If fires up leg and back muscles, which helps move fat and sugar in the blood and through the body.

Take the stairs to a restroom on a different floor. Climbing just two flights of stairs everyday could result a loss of 2.7kg or 6lbs per year. Six flights a day could help you trim nearly 18 lbs.

Don’t call or email or chat your colleagues. Get up and talk to them face-to-face.

Invest in—or ask your ergonomics department for—a sit-to-stand desk. Can’t afford one or convince your company to buy one? Set your laptop on any stable surface that’s high enough for you to be able to type comfortably (arms at right angles) and where your head is not looking too far down.

Replace desk chairs with stability balls to burn more calories while working.

Park farther away from the places where you work, shop, play, or study.

Take a 10-minute activity break at a scheduled time every day.

Give these tips a try and see how they work for you. Share your great tips by leaving a comment below.